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Re: Wood working equipment

Daniel Y makes a good point. Unless you are really interested in woodworking, and have some experience in woodworking, it may be a mistake to invest even a couple of hundred dollars in equipment to make your own hives. Especially if you are a hobbyist and will only need a few.

Re: Wood working equipment

I'm not setup to make boxes efficiently, and the cost of lumber vs. $9.40 just isn't with the time. Tops and bottoms, otoh, are worth my time.

As much as I can, I use a radial arm saw instead of a tablessaw..... a good ras (not a cheaper craftsman...older Delta/Rockwell, dewalt or sawsmith.... something cast iron, not sheet metal) that is kept in adjustment is safer for most operations (not ripping).
Deknow

Re: Wood working equipment

I'm a woodworker with a full shop and so far I've made all my own equipment for my first 60 hives, BUT I have come to the conclussion it's silly for me to spend time woodworking to make bee equipment when I could be spending the same time making furniture.

Not to mention that making the same thing OVER and OVER and OVER again is MONONTONEOUS

Re: Wood working equipment

If you like woodworking and already have the equipment, making your own stuff is fun and pretty cheap. However, if you are making large amounts of it (hundreds of hives, for instance) you are far better off buying it due to the time required.

You can make all sorts of non-standard equipment yourself, though, if you want to experiment. I'd not expect a sideliner or professional to be experimenting much, though, at least not on a large number of hives.

Re: Wood working equipment

If you already have the equipment, and are making hundreds of hives, you should be able to make them for the same per unit cost as the commercial manufacturers. Then, depending on how much your time is worth, vrs how much the commercial manufacturers want for their labor and profit, you should be able to save big, do the work in the off season.

There is a lot of free wood out there if you look for it. I get lots and lots each year. Cypress is about the only wood that I have to buy. Once you get in with a half dozen building contractors you will have all you need. One apartment building or a commercial building will get you hundreds of short pieces. Short pieces of wood they normally burn.

If you are around saw mills, you will find lots of pine/poplar that is less than 8 ft long, and they sell those short pieces cheap, just to get rid of them. Stack and cure for one year, then ready to go. Old buildings have 1 X 12 shelving which makes good hives. Watch for them being torn down or remodeled. Roofing contractors have 1 X 12 sheathing, and 1 X 4 which can be glued to make shallow, deep boxes, and bottom boards.. Watch auctions of farm property that have stacks of lumber for sale. Pine, poplar, oak, is normally cheap. Check the Habitat for Humanity Restore. They get in a lot of wood of various kinds and lengths. If the wood is free, and you like woodworking, you can beat the commercial prices. If not, then just buy them.